A commentary or, exposition upon the divine second epistle general, writtenA commentary or, exposition vpon the diuine second epistle generall, written

The Commodity of it follows; It secureth all, it increaseth all, it blesseth all. It §3secureth all; like an Ambassador by lying Lieger abroad, it makes all safe at home. It deriveth from the poor this prayer; God bless your store: it deriveth from God this blessing,^d I will abundantly bless thy provision. It increaseth all: it makes friends; praying friends; as they beg of thee, so they beg of God for thee. For a benefactor is a petty creator: thou givest a penny, it is his patrimony. Their devotions are sent up to heaven for thy blessing: and as the Bishop told Monica weeping for her seduced son; Fieri non potest, ut filius istarum Lacrimarum pereat: It cannot be that the son of those tears should ever perish. So be comforted in thy charity. Fieri non potest ut filius istarum precum pereat; It cannot be, that they for whom are sent up so many prayers, should ever perish; it leaves behind thee an everlasting memory; living thou art honoured, dead well reported; He hath given to the poor, ²his righteousness endureth ⟨p. 158⟩for ever. Thus Charity, says Chrysostom, is Ars quaestuosissima, the most gainful art; it is a field sown, the crop is thine.^e He that sows bountifully, shall reap bountifully: How bountifully? Christ answers; a measure heaped, and shaken, and pressed together, yet running over. It blesseth all: a main act of piety in the Law was Sacrifice, a main act of piety in the Gospel is Charity. This is an Evangelical Sacrifice, with which God is pleased, Heb. 13.16. Now the poor are the altar whereon we must offer this sacrifice. Charity sanctifies all: Give, and all shall be clean to you: you shall have new bags, which wax not old, new garments, which shall never be worn out, new gold, which cannot be rusted, Luke 12.33. God is loth thou shouldest lose thy wealth, therefore bids thee trust him with it: Non erit remotius, sed certius; It shall not be further from thee, but surer to thee: The Omnipotent shall keep it for thee that art impotent: no thief can break into heaven, to steal it from thee: it is out of the reach of the most merciless oppressor. Thou sayest, I trust in Christ to be saved: now darest thou trust him with that precious jewel, thy soul; and not with thy base worldly trash?